Commuting - First day commuting...

Biking is hard!!

I didn't realize just how much of a cardio workout biking can be. I'm tired as hell right now, my back is sweaty (didn't think I'd be sweating so much), my ears were cold (NYC winters... especially on the Manhattan bridge) and my legs are tired. Why the heck would I run on a treadmill ever again?!

You bikers are amazing to be able to do this all the time. And since I'm too stubborn to give up, I guess I'll have to make it or die!

Well congratulations on your first day. It will get easier. It does for everyone. As your heart/lungs/legs get used to it, you'll find yourself going faster and even making your ride longer than it has to be just to ride more.

Keep up the good work.

It's amazing how much the body can adapt. And over time you learn what to wear in the cold. If you keep going, this time next year you will be posting...Biking x miles is easy. :) You don't have to do anything special except just keep riding.

Congrats! Keep on peddling. Get a hat and/or hooded windbreaker if need be. You will come to love cycling.

And the benefits of being in shape extend into the bedroom. :D

Congratulations and welcome to the gang.
Biking is as hard or easy as you want it to be, much like walking/running. The commute doesnt have to be an ordeal. It may be better to gear down and ease up on the speed until you are accustomed to commuter cycling.
There is a lot of advice on winter gear. Bearing in mind the high work rate and high windchill, the advice is usually to wear less on your core and more on your extremities than for hiking.
ie, hats/earmuffs/headband/neck-buffs etc.

Welcome to the club. Like everyone has said it gets easier and more comfortable the more you do it. So keep pedaling and don't work so hard you take the fun out of it. Soon it will be time for the first miniskirts of spring and you'll discover another benefit of bike commuting.

miniskirts? I wish. Not that cycling shorts are bad.

Welcome to the club Tettsuo :)
It does get easier. However, then I go further and faster. Thus, negating the ease.
It is a good idea to take your time occasionally. Constantly pushing yourself can result in burnout.

Wow, sounds like you are new to cycling as well as commuting. You are a brave soul. ;)
I got into weekend cycling first and built up my strenght/endurance. Then I wanted to get in more miles so i started commuting. Keep it up but don't over due it to the point where it's not enjoyable.

Welcome to the HHCMF (Happy Healthy Commuting MuthaF*ckas) Club. Take pride in the fact that you are now at least 5x sexier than the average non-bike commuting Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie look-a-like and that you're saving at least $4/day which can be used to buy pie at places like Steve's Authentic Key Lime pie.

That's great, Tettsuo! Just think: You're taking on the worst conditions of the year, and you have spring and summer to look forward to. I put on a fleece jacket for 45°F this morning, being the AZ wimp that I am. NYC winters? Flocking BRR!

Stick with it!

Definitely keep at it and it will get better. You'll start to see an improvement in as little as a week or two. After a month, you'l be riding in a bigger gear. The "Training Effect" is a wonderful thing. Pie is good too, so eat some of that. Mmmmm. Pie...

Welcome, What kind of bike are you commuting on? How far is your commute?

Gratz and welcome.

Welcome, What kind of bike are you commuting on? How far is your commute?
Downtube (folder) is the bike I went with. Figured it would be a good idea to be able to take the bike to my cubicle at work instead of locking it outside.

The entire ride I think is about 5 or 6 miles in total one way. Certainly nothing significant (at least that what I initially thought) but it's about a 45min to an hour ride.

Congrats! :beer: Don't worry... it gets much easier after a few times. :)

:beer: Welcome to the insanity.

I just made my first 'real' commute today also. I rode my bike to work on the weekends a couple of times to paln my route and make sure I could do it and not die. :D

I have never felt so awake and ready to go when I got to work as I did this morning, better than caffene.

Keep on commuting :beer:

I think it's very admirable that not one, but two of you have started commuting in January! I started three July's ago, and didn't even really plan on going all through the winter that first year. I just kept seeing how long I could keep doing it, and suddently it was spring and I had made it through! :)

Of course one is always making clothing adjustments, especially in the winter. There will probably be times that you are getting too cold, and have to find a place to stop in to warm up for a few minutes. That's acceptable. Don't put yourself in danger. Consider each problem a learning experience and try to figure out how to avoid it in the future. Also be very careful with the traffic, especially if you're new to it. I found a lot of good advice on that on the Safety & Advocacy board.

As to the cardio workout, I was also rather out of breath the first week or two, after only 5 measly (I now realize) miles! But it went away.

I always find in the spring that I suddenly feel like I have more power, because finally I'm unencumbered by all those layers of clothing! So that's something to look forward to.

jnbacon: fleece at 45 F? Yeesh. I sweat like a pig if I put it on in any temp > 30. ;)

bbunk, welcome to the fold of Happy Healthy Commuting Muthaf*ckas. As you will soon find out, biking to work will make you the envy of all those donut eating, latte drinking lard a$$es that drive SUVs to walk their dogs. They may try to insult you, but your best recourse is to eat a dozen donuts in front of them and tell them you'll burn it off on the ride home. Then watch their faces turn red with envy and high blood pressure and lack of exercise. Be safe!

Way to go guys... I just started sporaticly in November and am now commuting 4 days per week. I still go through a total transformation everyday... 1st 10 min. - dumbest thing ever - 20 min. in feeling good - 1 hour in feeling great and arriving at the office wondering why I would ever drive. I am looking forward to the final transformation of looking forward to every ride... including the first 10 min.

Here is my route: http://tinyurl.com/9gq97

Downtube (folder) is the bike I went with. Figured it would be a good idea to be able to take the bike to my cubicle at work instead of locking it outside.

The entire ride I think is about 5 or 6 miles in total one way. Certainly nothing significant (at least that what I initially thought) but it's about a 45min to an hour ride.
You'll be much faster in a few months and you won't get tired or sore. The longer you do it, the easier and more fun it will be.

Compared to driving a car (at least the car I own ;o)), riding a bike to work is invigorating!

Gratz and welcome.
Thanks for posting the mileage chart as well!

Woohoo another New Yorker joins the club! :) Now go join Transportation Alternatives (http://www.transalt.org/about/member.html) for a better NY!

Downtube (folder) is the bike I went with. Figured it would be a good idea to be able to take the bike to my cubicle at work instead of locking it outside.

The entire ride I think is about 5 or 6 miles in total one way. Certainly nothing significant (at least that what I initially thought) but it's about a 45min to an hour ride.
Congrats! Five to six miles and 45 minutes are not "nothing significant." You do a lot more of a work-out than most people get. And your commute is probably about average for people on this forum. As you get stronger, your time will get better.

Enjoy.

Ditto what everyone else said. Way to go, man!

The folder is a good choice. I've heard up there in NYC, the thieves'll steal anything, bolted down with a heavy duty lock or not. I've only had to deal with crackheads with crowbars so far, and they only go after bikes with bling, top-dollar Treks and MTBs with suspension being their favorite targets. They ignore beaters.

Congratulations! I joined jyossarian's fold of Happy Healthy Commuting Muthaf*ckas recently myself.

Commuting since 12/16/2005

Kudos and congratulations!! It WILL get easier and you WILL feel like Superman when you get to work.

The more you ride the better it gets.

The better it gets the more you ride.

The more you ride the better it gets.

The better it gets the more you ride...

True HHCMF'ers have Happy Healthy Commuting Muthaf*ckas tattooed on their naughty bits so when they're not standing at attention, they see HHCMF and when they are at attention, it says the whole thing. I have yet to do this by the way, but I have tried it w/ a magic marker. ;)

Right on! It definitely gets better. I've been riding from Park Slope to Times Square for about three months now. You absolutely will not miss the subway and that desperate lunging for a seat. (When you'll ever read a novel again, though, is anyone's guess.)
Have you picked your route? If you're anywhere near Broadway or West, I HIGHLY recommend the Hudson River Park. May seem out of the way, but you fly on the bike path: no traffic lights, no deliveries, NO CARS.
Keep it up.

It gets easier. Just like everbody else says, your body will adjust.
I started riding to work after years of driving and getting fat. In August of 05 I got up early and rode a cheap garage sale bike to work. I thought I was going to die from the pain, I was 20 minutes late, my wife freaked because my vehicle was in the driveway and I wasn't at work, had no lights and to top it off; I hit a bat, not baseball but the alive animal kind that fly, with my shoulder. But after that and a few other tough learning days I look forward to the bike ride more than anything. It changed my life and yes I am still riding here in Minnesota. How do you join this MotherF*** commuting club?
MN Dan

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Well done for breaking new ground. Keep it up, and you'll be hooked in no time at all.

You didn't say how far you'd travelled?

Superman does no work when he flies--he just holds his arms out! I don't think he has the cardiovascular conditioning of a bicyclist.

My lungs feel great when I ride. What a nice, refreshing difference it makes.

(makes me wonder what the inside of the heating/cooling ducts at work look like. Got to be lots of dust and grime in there, cause it sure doesn't feel the same.)

How do you join this MotherF*** commuting club?
MN Dan
Click your heels 3x and say, "I am now an HHCMFer!". Then send me all your money.